Apportioning device



A. LARSEN.

APFORTIONING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. II. 1916.

1,327,678, Patented Jan. 13, .1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARNOLD LARSEN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE WM. GENT VENDING MACHINE COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

APPORTIONING- DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARNOLD LARsEN, a subject of the King of Norway, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Im rovement in Apportioning Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a device or appainvention herein as a coin distributing device for incorporation in coin controlled machines. As the invention is applicable to all varieties of machines of this character, I will restrict it to no particular kind in the following description.

The general purposes of the invention are to provide a very simple, yet positively acting device for dividing objects into lots of predetermined proportions; and to provide such a devicev with means of adjustment whereby the proportions may be changed as I desired.

' state of the prior art.

Further and more limited objects of the invention will become apparent as I proceed' to describe the embodimentillustrated in do not limit myself to such details further than is required by the terms of the annexed claims and is rendered necessary by the In the drawing, Figure l'represents a pers ective view of the device associated with t e coin tubes of a coin controlled machine, the tubes being shown in broken lines; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device with the face plate removed; Fig. 3 is .a rear elevation of the device; Figs. 4 and 5 are vertical sections on the respective section lines 4-4= and 55 of each of Figs. 2 and 3; and Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

T iedevicecomprises a flat body portion 1 having shallow flanges 2 projecting for- Wvardly from its lateral edges, said flanges being turned inward at their upper ends, as shown 2, along the upper edge of the body portion and then vertically along the sides of the reduced upper end of the body portion 1, to form a neck 3, such neck being located adjacent the right hand side of the body poition, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2. A face plate 5, of the same general shape as the body portion 1, is applied to the front of the body portion and held thereto by screws" 6 which enter threaded apertures in the flanges 2. Thus a passageway is formed between the face plate and the front surface of the body portion, and is of a depth from.

front to back slightly greater than the thickness of the coins that are intended to be used in connection with the device. The passageway is divided vertically into chutes A and B of substantially the same width, by an adjustable partition strip 10, from the front of which projects, adjacent its upper end, a threaded stud 11, through a slot 12 in the face plate 5, a nut 13 being applied to the stud for clamping the partition strip in any adjusted position. A slot 14 extends throughout the lower portion of the strip, and a screw 15, which passesthrough the face plate and is threaded into the body portion 1, reposes within the slot 14 and constitutes a guide for the partition strip.

The body portion 1 is notched upward from its lower end central of each of the chutes A and B, the notches of the respexztive chutes being designated by the reference characters a and 7). Within the upper end of the notch or depends a hook or abutment portion 16, of a weighted dog 17, that is pivoted upon a pin 18, which extends across the restricted upper end a, of the notch a. A pair of lugs 20 extends from the rear of the body portion 1 between the upper ends of the notches a and b, and a rock shaft 21 is journaled within alining perforationsthereof. This shaft is formed of a portion of a wire, one end of which is bent downward and curved forwardly through the notch b, to constitute a rocker arm 22. It will be seen especially upon reference to Fig. 5,

. trated.

The faceplate is provided with a series of graduations along one side of-the slot 12,

. to enable the partition strip 10 to be ad- .justed for the purpose of determining the proportions or percentage according to which objects fed through the device are to 'be divided. Asshown, the device is adjusted to apportion objects or coins passed therethrough on a one-fourth or-twentyfive per cent. basis. In other words, when one com is delivered through one of the receiving tubes of the machine by the device t of my invention, three acres wlll be distributed to the other as will be clearly understood from the following description of the operation of the device.

It will be assumed that a coin has been deposited in the machine and that it has found its way, through the tube G, into the upper end of the passageway between the face plate 5 and the body portion 1. Dropping directly vertically into the device the coin strikes the upper and slightly rounded end of the partition strip 10 and'is directed thereby into the passageway A, through which it descends until it engages the pro- 7 :truding hook or abutment portion 16 of the dog 17, whereon it then rests. The two sucupper edge of the last inserted coin reposthe partition strip 10. The next coin to be over the upper end of the partition strip and into the chute B.- As the coin descends {through chute B it will engage the for-': -wardly curved portion of the rocker. arm

Q 22,- swinging, the rocker arm-'rearwardly. out

ofits way and continuing downward into the tube D. The rocker arm 22, the rock, shaft 21, and the actuator 24 being rigidly' connected together and operatively engaged with the dog 17, the rearward swinging of.

the rocker arm will move the dog in a corre- "supported member depending alongside the adjacent igraduations on the face plate is substantially equal to the diameter of a coin, it will be'seen that when the partition strip is adjusted upwardly successively from one 7 to the other of the graduations, the device illustrated herein will operate to divide the .coins. on'a one -half, onethird, onefourth, or orie-fifth'bas1s.

,anda branch chute, the body portion having an inlet passagewhlch is offset somewhat [front the central axis of the main chute'toward the branch chute, a pivotally main chute and having an abutment por tion wh ch bisects the same, a second member which normally reposes within the branch chute and is adapted to be swung therefrom by an object passing throughthe branchchute, and operative connections between saidmembers whereby such move- .ment of the last mentioned member will withdraw the abutment of the former memher from the mam chute.

A device of the character set forth comprising a. body portion having a passageway, an adjustable partition for divid ping said passageway into a main and 1,1branch chute, the passageway having an ceeding coinswill act in the same manner and lodge, one upon the other, upon. the coin that is suspended by the dog- 17, they into'the passageway in aposition to befde- .flec ted. by :the partition normally into the main chute, a gravity dog pivotally suping slightly above the corresponding end of ported from the-body. portion and havingllfl U an abutm'ent portion which normally reinserted will follow the course of the former coins until-it strikes the upper edge of, the top coin, and, because of the factthat the; neck 3 is offset out of vertical alinement withthe chute A and toward the chute B,

the present or fourth coin will strikethe' third coin to the left of its vertical axis as viewed in Fig. 2) and be deflected thereby .7

"poses, within the main chute and acts to temporarily arrestobjects which are deposited therein,- a rock shaft supported adjacent the branch slot in a position. to be engaged by .objects passing ,therethrough and. swung vthereby from such slot, and an actuator secured' .to the rockshaft and operatively connectedto-the aforesaid dog for swinging ,saiddogiina direction to withdraw its abut- .inent'portion from the main chute.

' 3. A device of the character set forth comprising a casing having sidewalls that are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the thickness of a given coin, said casing inclosing a passageway, a partition strip extending longitudinally of the passageway and dividing the same into a main and a branch chute, the casing having an inlet at its upper end that is more nearly in alinement with the main chute than the branch chute, the casing having openings in one of its side walls, one of said openings being substantially central of each chute, bearing members carried by the casing adjacent said openings, a rock shaft j ournaled within said bearing members, a gravity dog pivotally supported within one of said openings and having an abutment portion which extends abruptly across the main chute when the dog is in normal position, a rocker arm se cured to the rock shaft and depending through the other opening into the branch chute, and an actuator carried by said rock shaft and operatively connected to the afore said dog whereby said dog will be swung to withdraw its abutment from the main chute when an object passing through the branch chute engages and moves the aforesaid rocker arm.

4. A device of the character set forth comprising a body portion having comparatively shallow flanges projecting forwardly from its lateral edges, said flanges approaching each other at their upper ends along the upper edge of the body portion to within a distance substantially equal to the diameter of a given coin, a face plate applied to said flanges and spaced thereby from the body portion a distance slightly greater than the thickness of said coin, a partition strip centrally located between the aforesaid flanges, means for adjusting said strip longitudinally, and for clamping it in any adjusted position to the structure, the strip thus dividing the space inclosed by the face plate and body portion into two chutes, a member pivoted to the body portion and having an abutment which normally repose-s within one chute to obstruct the passage of coins therethrough, and a rocker arm normally reposing within the other chute, operative connections between said rocker arm and the aforesaid member whereby said member is withdrawn from its respective chute to release the coins sustained thereby when the rocker arm is engaged and moved by a coin passing through its respective chute.

5. A device of the character set forth comprising a body portion having a through passageway, a partition dividing said passageway into a main chute and a branch chute, the body portion having an inlet passage, a movable member bisecting the main chute, a second member which normally hangs vertically and has a cam portion reposing within the branch chute so that an object passing through the branch chute will engage said cam portion and swing the sec ond member laterally from its normal vertical position, and interengaging connections between said members whereb such movement of the last mentioned member will positively withdraw the former member from the main chute.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ARNOLD LARSEN.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR GENT, H. C. MORRIS. 

